Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 39 GAME PREVIEW: MICHIGAN STATE However, the Irish will obviously be a greater challenge than the Rockets, and they seemed to figure out their run game in the second half against Wisconsin. We'll take the odds that a new- look running back room and an offensive line that shifted several parts around over the offseason continue to improve throughout September. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE Notre Dame junior quarterback CJ Carr was as advertised against Wisconsin. His stat line (19- of-29 passing for 239 yards with 2 touchdowns) won't blow anyone away, but he was extremely accurate, he made the right decisions and he en- gineered touchdowns on each of Notre Dame's three second-half possessions. He might hunt explosive plays more in Week 3 against a Michigan State team that allowed 16.3 yards per completion against Toledo. The Spartans ranked outside the top 100 in opponent yards per attempt last season, and much like in the run game, several of the same issues still persist. Michigan State does not have a shutdown corner. Getting cornerback Charles Brantley back — he transferred to Miami for 2025 but has gone back to MSU — was exciting, but he was benched in Week 1 after allowing 2 receptions for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. Spartan Avenue wrote an article titled "3 fixes that Michigan State must make vs. Eastern Michigan in Week 2," and No. 3 was simply, "Charles Brantley." "He was horrendous in the opener, and he'd even admit that," Spartan Avenue's Connor Muld- owney wrote. "He wasn't his usual scrappy self and got caught sleeping on a deep touchdown pass." Without the horses to defend wide receiver Jor- dan Faison and company or the pass rush to hound Carr (MSU ranked 93rd nationally with 22 sacks last year and didn't make any obvious personnel improvements), the Spartans might revert to the Badgers' game plan. Specifically, they might have to play shell coverages, do their best to stop the run with six-man boxes and pray Carr forces an ill-advised pass downfield. However, Carr and the Irish have proved they can win against that type of defense. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Shortly after taking the Michigan State job, Fitzgerald pulled off a coup. He poached special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who is considered arguably the best in the country, away from Iowa. Woods had worked for the Hawkeyes since 2008, serving as special teams coordinator since 2018. He's an Iowa alum and had never worked anywhere else since the end of his NFL career, but Fitzgerald was able to land him. "I challenge players all the time to grow, to get uncomfortable," Woods said in December, explain- ing his decision to leave Iowa. "I feel like I'm kind of at that point in my life. I'm trying to take a leap and see what happens." Fitzgerald is glad he did because Michigan State doesn't beat Toledo without Woods' special teams units. Kicker Liam Boyd, a transfer from Charlotte, went 5 of 6 on field goals with a long of 51 (his only miss was a 54-yarder that was blocked). Kickoff returner Kenneth Williams, a Nebraska transfer who made second-team All-Big Ten as a return specialist last year, brought back a 47-yard return that set up one of those field goals. Iowa transfer punter Rhys Dakin's services were only required once, but Phil Steele and Athlon Sports named him to the preseason All-Big Ten second team. The point is that Michigan State should have one of the Power Four's best third phases in 2026. Notre Dame's special teams should be pretty good as well, and the Irish feel great about their kicker after junior Spencer Porath made a 52-yarder to open the season against Wiscon- OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR 6 Jordan Faison 5-11 185 Sr. 33 Matt Jeffery 5-11 195 Jr. WR 1 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 215 Sr. or 3 Mylan Graham 6-1 195 Jr. LT 74 Will Black 6-7 316 So. 68 Charlie Thom 6-7 295 Fr. or 65 Grayson McKeogh 6-7 303 Fr. LG 54 Anthonie Knapp 6-5 305 Jr. 57 Cam Herron 6-2 297 So. C 70 Ashton Craig 6-5 315 5th 64 Joe Otting 6-4 309 Sr. RG 75 Sullivan Absher 6-7 320 Sr. or 71 Styles Prescod 6-6 304 Jr. RT 76 Guerby Lambert 6-7 325 Jr. 78 Owen Strebig 6-8 318 So. TE 87 Cooper Flanagan 6-6 255 Sr. or 88 James Flanigan 6-6 253 So. WR 14 Micah Gilbert 6-2 205 Jr. 17 Elijah Burress 6-1 190 So. or 8 Jerome Bettis Jr. 6-2 207 So. QB 13 CJ Carr 6-2 215 Jr. 10 Noah Grubbs 6-4 210 Fr. or 9 Teddy Jarrard 6-4 210 Fr. RB 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. 2 Nolan James Jr. 5-10 215 So. or 21 Kedren Young 5-11 234 Jr. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. DE 5 Boubacar Traore 6-5 253 Sr. 10 Loghan Thomas 6-3 221 Jr. DT 88 Armel Mukam 6-3 300 Sr. 7 Francis Brewu 6-1 285 Jr. NT 0 Tionne Gray 6-5 320 Jr. or 7 Francis Brewu 6-1 285 Jr. DE 95 Bryce Young 6-6 260 Jr. 11 Keon Keeley 6-5 275 Sr. WLB 4 Jaiden Ausberry 6-1 226 Sr. 3 Jaylen Sneed 6-1 227 5th MLB 34 Drayk Bowen 6-2 234 Sr. 27 Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 6-3 234 Jr. or 19 Madden Faraimo 6-2 235 So. NB 29 Christian Gray 6-0 196 Sr. 1 Dallas Golden 6-0 195 So. or 12 Jayden Sanders 6-0 195 So. CB 15 Leonard Moore 6-2 197 Jr. 24 Mark Zackery IV 5-10 190 So. BOUND 8 Adon Shuler 6-0 205 Sr. 22 Ethan Long 6-2 205 So. FIELD 28 Luke Talich 6-4 222 Sr. 20 Joey O'Brien 6-5 200 Fr. CB 2 DJ McKinney 6-1 190 5th or 12 Jayden Sanders 6-0 195 So. NOTRE DAME TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. KO 18 Erik Schmidt 6-2 211 So. or 36 Micah Drescher 6-5 196 Fr. PK 35 Spencer Porath 6-0 200 Jr. 36 Micah Drescher 6-5 196 Fr. P 39 Jasper Scaife 6-6 222 Fr. 18 Erik Schmidt 6-2 211 So. LS 96 Joseph Vinci 6-4 233 Jr. 49 Andrew Kros 6-4 227 Sr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. H 39 Jasper Scaife 6-6 222 Fr. PR 6 Jordan Faison 5-11 185 Sr. 1 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 215 Sr. or 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. KR 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. or 2 Nolan James Jr. 5-10 215 So. 20 Jonaz Walton 5-9 214 Fr. or 21 Kedren Young 5-11 234 Jr. SPECIAL TEAMS Fifth-year kicker Liam Boyd, a transfer from Charlotte, connected 5 of 6 on field goals with a long of 51 in his first game with Michigan State. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS